Do you allow your furry friend to roam free on a car journey?

If so, you could be fined up to £2,500 for ‘driving without due care and attention’

Pet owners who drive with their furry friend loose in their vehicle are risking a huge fine for not having them fastened in correctly.

According to a recent survey, over a third of pet-owning drivers have confessed to travelling without restraining their dog in the car properly, whilst many have no idea how much trouble they could be in if caught.

Letting a pet pooch roam freely on a car journey can distract the driver’s attention from the road and if caught could land an offender with a hefty fine.

Do you allow your furry friend to roam free on a car journey?

A police officer can issue a £200 fine to a pet owner if they believe the driver has been driving without suitable control of their vehicle because of a pet and this can increase to £2,500 if the case goes to court for ‘driving without due care and attention’, plus an offender can also be handed nine penalty points.

Confused.com carried out the survey to find out how clued up drivers in the UK where when it came to carrying pets in our cars and found that almost two thirds of those questioned had no idea that a fine could be issued for not restraining their pet properly, whilst more than half of drivers with pets confessed to not knowing that allowing their furry friend to roam free on a journey might also invalidate their insurance policy.

In the event of an accident, insurers can invalidate a policy if it’s proven that the driver was distracted or not in control of their vehicle at the time of the incident.

Allowing a pet to roam free in a car is dangerous and can distract the driver or even get in the way of the driver. They can also be at risk of serious injury if the car was to be involved in an accident and the animal isn’t restrained correctly.

According to the survey, one in 10 pet owners said they or someone who they knew had been involved in an accident whilst a pet was in the car at the time, with 8% saying they’d had to brake heavily or hold onto a pet so as to avoid a crash.

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